Waiting Times For Gp Appointments

[crookesey]

2 hours ago, peak4 said:

Slight aside from this thread, but I bought one of these; mine came off ebay for rather less money.
It works well, but needs care as the maximum amplified signal is so loud it hurt my ear.
https://www.doro.com/en-gb/shop/home-devices/corded-telephones/doro-magna-4000-6f5bed57/

So did I, works a treat. 🤙

[Mister M]

I know that since the pandemic GPs workload has increased hugely (both in terms of numbers and complexity of cases), and the numbers of practicing GPs has reduced in that period as well.

However secondary care (hospitals and other specialist clinics) are not delivering the same levels of care.

 

If anyone is interested in this area, this document is worth a look over:

Performance Tracker 2023: General practice | Institute for Government

[peak4]

It's not something for which I can really provide a link, as it relates to personal conversations with several GPs I knew via motorsport.
A good few years ago, the NHS recruited lots of GPs from the Indian subcontinent; it was easier, as their training was pretty much a mirror of ours.
Most of them would have been a similar age when they arrived, and thus all came up for retirement at the same time; various governments of all colours  should have foreseen that this was a potential problem looming, but failed to take action to replace them when they retired.

Subsequent to that

Pressures in general practice data analysis  BMA
We monitor data on GP workforce, working patterns and appointment numbers to help build a picture of the level of strain GP practices in England are under.

GP practices across the country are experiencing significant and growing strain with declining GP numbers, rising demand, struggles to recruit and retain staff and knock-on effects for patients.

Hundreds of practices on the brink as half their GPs are over retirement age  GP On-line via archive.is Headline only as it's a professionals site
At least half of GPs are over retirement age at 10% of England's GP practices - leaving hundreds of practices at potential risk of collapse, analysis by GPonline reveals.

European GPs registering to work in NHS dropped after Brexit referendum  GP on-line again, but this story opens fully for me
By Luke Haynes on the 12 November 2019
The number of European GPs registering to work in the UK has dropped since the 2016 Brexit referendum, while an increasing number have left UK practice, GMC figures show.
Brief: GP Shortages in England  pdf from Royal Collage of GPs

Key Statistics
GP Workforce
• Despite an agreement from Government that we need 6,000 extra GPs the number of FTE fully qualified GPs has fallen by 5% between September 2015 and 2021 whilst the population is 4% larger and health problems are getting more complex.
• There were 45 fully qualified FTE GPs per 100,000 patients in April 2022 compared to 52 in September 2015, when records began.

This means that on average, GPs are currently looking after 2,056 patients, which is more than 10% more patients than in 2015.
• 42% of GPs say that they are planning to quit the profession in the next five years.
• 80% of GPs expect working in general practice to get worse over the next few years, compared to only 6% who expect it to get better.
GP Workload
• Last year, general practice in England carried out almost 370 million consultations, this is 18.5% more than in 2019.

Over the same time period, the number of clinical administration tasks delivered by GPs in England rose by 28%, up to 107 million in 2021.
• In 2021 over 45% of all patients had an appointment on the day that they contacted their practice and 76% were seen within a week.

 

 

[Draggletail]

4 hours ago, PRESLEY said:

I mentioned this previously, through Covid GP's formed a new and easier  way of working and are  now sticking to it.  

You mean working with phone appointments only? That's pretty bad practice. A good doctor on seeing you will notice your demeanor and take note of that, not to mention the actual physical interaction between doctor and patient surely has to be beneficial. You have eye contact etc. Phone appointments are less in my view. 

[Draggletail]

29 minutes ago, peak4 said:

It's not something for which I can really provide a link, as it relates to personal conversations with several GPs I knew via motorsport.
A good few years ago, the NHS recruited lots of GPs from the Indian subcontinent; it was easier, as their training was pretty much a mirror of ours.
Most of them would have been a similar age when they arrived, and thus all came up for retirement at the same time; various governments of all colours  should have foreseen that this was a potential problem looming, but failed to take action to replace them when they retired.

Subsequent to that

Pressures in general practice data analysis  BMA
We monitor data on GP workforce, working patterns and appointment numbers to help build a picture of the level of strain GP practices in England are under.

GP practices across the country are experiencing significant and growing strain with declining GP numbers, rising demand, struggles to recruit and retain staff and knock-on effects for patients.

Hundreds of practices on the brink as half their GPs are over retirement age  GP On-line via archive.is Headline only as it's a professionals site
At least half of GPs are over retirement age at 10% of England's GP practices - leaving hundreds of practices at potential risk of collapse, analysis by GPonline reveals.

European GPs registering to work in NHS dropped after Brexit referendum  GP on-line again, but this story opens fully for me
By Luke Haynes on the 12 November 2019
The number of European GPs registering to work in the UK has dropped since the 2016 Brexit referendum, while an increasing number have left UK practice, GMC figures show.
Brief: GP Shortages in England  pdf from Royal Collage of GPs

Key Statistics
GP Workforce
• Despite an agreement from Government that we need 6,000 extra GPs the number of FTE fully qualified GPs has fallen by 5% between September 2015 and 2021 whilst the population is 4% larger and health problems are getting more complex.
• There were 45 fully qualified FTE GPs per 100,000 patients in April 2022 compared to 52 in September 2015, when records began.

This means that on average, GPs are currently looking after 2,056 patients, which is more than 10% more patients than in 2015.
• 42% of GPs say that they are planning to quit the profession in the next five years.
• 80% of GPs expect working in general practice to get worse over the next few years, compared to only 6% who expect it to get better.
GP Workload
• Last year, general practice in England carried out almost 370 million consultations, this is 18.5% more than in 2019.

Over the same time period, the number of clinical administration tasks delivered by GPs in England rose by 28%, up to 107 million in 2021.
• In 2021 over 45% of all patients had an appointment on the day that they contacted their practice and 76% were seen within a week.

 

 

Oh.... that really does give some perspective.... 😢

[kay1]

4 hours ago, pattricia said:

Phoned my docs up this week at 8:30 am to hear “ You are 20th in the queue !”

You are lucky pattricia when I phoned for appointment I was number 42 in the queue at 8.30 

[peak4]

2 hours ago, Draggletail said:

Oh.... that really does give some perspective.... 😢

Indeed, it does doesn't it.
Whilst it's not happening to replace GPs (yet) some are advocating more use of Physician Associates to help address the shortage of fully qualified doctors.

There are objections of course
BMA calls for independent investigation into hospital trusts replacing doctors with physician associates on medical rotas. by BMA media team

The BMA is calling on the Health Secretary to launch an independent inquiry into the use of physician associates (PAs)– who are not medically qualified – on medical rotas, in place of doctors in hospital trusts in England.

The Association says Victoria Atkins must get to the bottom of the scale across the NHS in England, how it has been allowed to happen and what steps must be taken to end it.

This follows the evidence uncovered by the Daily Telegraph alongside the BMA’s own findings from its members.

Doctors have been reporting instances where gaps in medical rotas are being filled by physician associates, despite Government ministers and leaders of NHS England making promises that PAs cannot and must not be used to replace doctors.

RCGP strengthens ‘red lines’ on Physician Associates working in general practice     Royal College of GPs

Whilst continuing to recognise that regulation of PAs is vital and must happen as soon as possible, Council members raised significant concerns that PA regulation by the General Medical Council could increase confusion amongst patients about the differences between doctors and PAs. 

 

As we know, the IEA is still very influential on our current government, even though its funding is at best opaque, but read up on The Atlas Network amongst others.
How to abolish the NHS   IEA Blog

Rather than focusing on the gradual introduction of  ‘market reforms’ and public-private partnerships within the NHS system, an alternative strategy would seek to bypass the NHS by liberating the private healthcare sector such that the NHS became less and less relevant as more and more people opted out of state provision to avoid long waiting lists and substandard care.

But radical regulatory reform is necessary if a dynamic private health sector offering low-cost, high quality and innovative treatment is to emerge.

A selection of regulatory changes is suggested below:

Perhaps most importantly, the compulsory licensing of medical professionals should be abolished.

Anyone should be at liberty to practice as a doctor or nurse, with patients relying on brand names or competing voluntary associations to ensure quality

Ending current restrictive practices is essential to enable private firms to increase productivity in the sector.
 

 

 

 

[peak4]

Regarding waiting times for A&E etc 

 

Up the road a bit from me, we now have a private walk in centre if you are able to afford it, focusing specially on those who don't want to have to wait at the NHS one.

Long list of exclusions,; I guess they only want conditions which are simple and cheap to treat, and thus more profitable, whilst being lower insurance risk.

They also offer a private GP service too ;  I wonder how many NHS GPs will move to such services, thus exacerbating the local GP shortages; none through this provider in Sheffield yet though.
Fed up waiting for an ambulance, we are starting to see private emergency ambulances becoming available too; only £99

Private ambulance service charging £99 opens to tackle patient delays amid concerns over a ‘two-tier’ system  Independent

 

Without going into details, last year I called 111 for someone, with what I judged to be a potentially life changing condition. (I had a good reason to not go direct to 999, which I'm not explaining here). 

This was late afternoon; I received the correct advice, from a qualified practitioner rather than just a call handler, who explained that the next available ambulance would be some time after lunch the following day. 😞

Fortunately I was in a position to provide immediate transport to a pre-arranged A&E appointment: in the event of a patient deterioration, the only advice was "Drive faster, but don't have an accident as there aren't any ambulances ".

 

To access my own GP for appointments and repeat prescriptions, I used to use NHS App (note this is different to NHS Login; it provides an entry into the latter).
My new GP wants me to use Patient Access which as well as allowing the above,  also provides direct links to a whole range of private healthcare providers.
It must be very appealing to some patients, who find that the earliest available appointment is a minimum of 5 weeks away, longer if you want to see a specific GP.

 

 

[El Cid]

5 hours ago, peak4 said:

Regarding waiting times for A&E etc 

 

Up the road a bit from me, we now have a private walk in centre if you are able to afford it, focusing specially on those who don't want to have to wait at the NHS one.

Long list of exclusions,; I guess they only want conditions which are simple and cheap to treat, and thus more profitable, whilst being lower insurance risk.

They also offer a private GP service too ;  I wonder how many NHS GPs will move to such services, thus exacerbating the local GP shortages; none through this provider in Sheffield yet though.
Fed up waiting for an ambulance, we are starting to see private emergency ambulances becoming available too; only £99

Private ambulance service charging £99 opens to tackle patient delays amid concerns over a ‘two-tier’ system  Independent

 

 

If this a pre-election advertisement? The Tories have found out how to fix the NHS, make people pay to use it.

[Tipstaff]

My doctor's surgery uses an on-line system called  'ANIMA' .  It is a lot less sarcastic and more efficient than our surgery's current receptionist.  However, it seems to keep the same hours as the GP's which averages about 4hrs a day!

 

I have decided that I shall just suffer what ails me, treat myself and give up using the GP service completely !